In article ,
stuart noble wrote:
Dave Plowman wrote in message ...

Dunno Islington - sounds posh to me.

A bit like thouse roads off Bedford Hill. Very choice buildings, but all
converted to flats.

Certainly a lot are - they're simply too big for many. Or were a few years
ago.

This is why Hackney and Stoke Newington became
trendy, even without decent transport. Brixton didn't quite make it
though, despite the Victoria Line and the lovely housing stock.

I'd hardly call it cheap now. You've really got to go out as far as
Mitcham to get cheaper places, and of course, most of that is much newer.

Couldn't help noticing on a trip to Balham the other night a) how full
the pubs were and b) ladies of the night parading on Bedford Hill. They
used to be shoulder to shoulder up there by the common when I was a lad.

Did you visit the Bedford? It used to be the tarts pub - now it's all
luvvies. You still see a few tarts up by the common during the day - all
knock kneed in there mini skirts in this weather. Thought the police had
cleared them away at night.

Round this part of Sarf Lunnun they use London Stocks which seem to
last pretty well. I reckon there's at least four different grades of
them used in mine - the best ones naturally at the front. Doesn't seem
to make much difference to the strength, though. And lime mortar allows
things to move slightly without cracking. If you can't beat them, join
them.

I would guess your London stocks are pretty much the same as mine, that
is stacked one on top of the other with a crumbly powder between them. I
think the merits or otherwise of lime mortar are academic when this
stuff has long ceased to be mortar in any meaningful sense of the word.

My builder mate says it's just the pointing that holds them together. But
if you do any repairs, don't use a strong mix of mortar - the bricks will
simply crack with any movement.

--
*Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy.

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn